Difference Between Android and Symbian

Understanding the differences between Android and Symbian can be difficult considering the fact that both are operating systems used for mobile phones. The initial version of Symbian was introduced in 1997. From 1997 until 2008, Symbian, as a cell phone operating system ruled the market. Then, in 2008, the Android cell phone was introduced and since then, a number of updated Android versions have been introduced.

Symbian is mostly used by Nokia whereas Android is used by a number of cell phone manufacturers such as Samsung, HTC and others. Since Android competition is fairly high, thus development is at an equally brisk pace. On the other hand, Symbian stands somewhat outdated and for this reason, it is constantly losing its market share.

Another major difference between Android and Symbian is the market targeted. Android targets smart phone devices such as touch cell phones and tablets. Symbian on the other hand, targets devices with normal or QWERTY keypads. Moreover, the Android’s Graphical User Interface (GUI) is much more attractive and easy to use as compared to Symbian’s GUI.

Instructions

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    Android:

    Android was initially developed by Android Inc., a company which Internet giant Google bought in 2005. It is a Linux-based operating system. Android is open source which means that it is free for redistribution and any manufacturing device can modify and use a particular android version according to their needs. According to statistics taken no more than 6 months ago, the number of applications specially developed for use on android phones was nearly 700,000. These applications cover almost all aspects of life, making it very easy for android users to keep track of different things while they are on the go.

    Image Courtesy: mashable.com

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    Symbian:

    Symbian mobile operating system was initially developed by Symbian Ltd. It is currently being maintained by Accenture. Symbian is closed source which means it can not be redistributed for free and is available in a number of different languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Persian, Urdu and almost all versions of English.

    Symbian’s most recent release was Nokia Belle Feature Pack 2 (updated Symbian Belle) in October 2012.  Symbian is subjected to criticism across the globe because it easily gets affected by a number of different viruses. Since the launch of Android, development on Android has been somewhat on the slower side.

    Image Courtesy: symbian.org

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